TNAG-1280-FCO40-1631-Public-Service-in-Hong-Kong-devolution-of-Secretary-of-State-1983 — Page 37

530

THE PUBLIC SERVICE

Regulations contained in Part III, which afford recognition in each legislating territory that an officer, in the course of his career, may serve under two or more governments (perhaps five or six); and that, as he is, throughout, a member of an overseas service, each pension granted should take that fact into account. The formula, in a straightforward case, has the following effect:

(1) An "hypothetical pension" is calculated for each territory---- the pension which the officer would have earned if he had been in the service of the territory during the whole of his service under the governments of territories mentioned in a Schedule to the Regulations;

(2) this calculation is based upon the pensionable emoluments received by the officer at the date of his retirement;

(3) the pension actually awarded by the territory is the sum which bears to the hypothetical pension the same proportion as his aggregate pensionable emoluments during his service there bear to the aggregate pensionable emoluments throughout his service in the territory and scheduled territories.

(4) If the pension laws in all territories in which he has served are identical, his pensions, added together, are of course equal to the hypothetical pension.

This system so-called of "scheduled pensions" has been of considerable importance in making it practicable to bring about and maintain the unification of the Colonial Service (and later Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service and Overseas Judiciary) and con- sequently to transfer officers from one territory to another, without break of pensionable service, in the course of their careers, to the great benefit both of the officers themselves and of the governments

overseas.

Pensions: widows and orphans

Widows' and orphans' pensions are likewise provided for by statute based upon model Ordinances,85 which are designed to establish a contributory scheme with pensions based upon actuarial tables and, like the model Pensions Ordinance, make detailed provision for an officer transferring to other public service. He is given certain options, depending upon his marital status and upon whether the territory to which he transfers has a like scheme of its own. Recently, some territories have adopted a new scheme under which a dependant's pension is proportionate to that of the officer.

85 e.g. Colonial Office print African (East) No. 1082, 8th ed., 1947.

PUBLIC

Provident funds

Persons in n enjoy lump-sum provident fund. payment into the officers, governm on all deposits an